Recreational and artistic skates are the majority of the types of rollerskates that most people think of when someone mentions rollerskates. These skates can include the skates that children use when growing up as tiny tots to the skates used by world-class competitors. When comparing skates, a person needs to pay attention to the type of material that is used to make the boot and what type of bearings they use. A leather boot will last a lot longer than most types of synthetic boots, but they may be okay for a child since a leather boot costs more and the child may outgrow the boot in no time. In addition, a good quality bearing determines how well a skate will roll.

Rollerskates can vary a lot by the type of surface that a skater will be using. Most rollerskates used for an indoor rink will have a harder wheel as compared to a softer wheel used for the outdoors. Most owners of roller rinks do not allow a skater to use their rollerskates indoors if the rollerskates have been used outdoors and have dirt or mud on them for the simple fact that the dirt or mud will get onto the surface of the floor of the rink. Also, the rollerskates will have a different boot such as more insulation to keep the foot warm. The boots used for the indoor rink do not have the bolts for the wheels extend very far from the wheels because they could scoff up the rink floor.